Over 60% of applicants get rejected by Big 4 consultancies like Ernst & Young (EY) solely on the basis of online aptitude tests!

The competition for EY jobs and internships is very fierce. Thousands of applications are submitted. On average one candidate will be finally selected out of 50 applicants. You need to score above 80th percentile in EY online aptitude tests to move on to the next recruitment stage.

If you want to start your career in consultancy, Ernst & Young is among the best choices. If you are a professional or graduate looking for a job, internship or a graduate scheme, we want you to succeed. In the article below, we will provide you with a step-by-step overview of the best tips for successfully passing a very thorough EY’s candidate assessment process during recruitment: job application, online aptitude tests, assessment centre, and a set of interviews.

If you decide to apply, you can practice online aptitude tests with us to improve your results in EY tests and get your scores above 80th percentile.

We are a team of experienced organisational psychologists and recruiters who worked for major aptitude test publishers, banks and multinationals. We share proven tips and examples of psychometric tests to help you pass EY’s assessment.

Ernst & Young (EY) is a multinational professional services firm headquartered in London that employs 230,000 people globally. EY operates as a network of member firms which are separate legal entities in individual countries.

Despite the number of different areas and levels within EY, the EY recruitment process follows a very similar path.

These are the four steps of the Ernst & Young job application process:

STEP 1

EY Online application

Once you have done the necessary research on Ernst & Young, and decided on the programme you wish to apply for:

You need to complete the online application form which includes:

Personal details

Academic background

Relevant work experience

Based on your role you might also be asked to answer some questions, e.g.:

Your motivations to apply for the chosen role

Why you make a good candidate

What EY means to you

Tip: In this section, make sure to refer to particular experiences and skills that match the EY competencies: teamwork, respect, determination, integrity, energy, enthusiasm and courage to lead. Prepare your experiences from professional, personal, community or sports life.

You need to make sure you have provided accurate information before your submission. You should never leave this until the last minute.

Tip: apply as early as possible, as this increases your chances of being reviewed on a rolling basis. Check your email frequently in case EY’s HR department should require any clarification or further details.

STEP 2

EY Online Assessment Tests

Every candidate applying to Ernst & Young will be invited to log into their Strengths Portal after submitting all of the above information. You will then be required to sit four EY Assessment Tests; you do not have to complete them in a single sitting, but it is advised to finish them within one day.

Ernst & Young’s Online Assessment Tests consist of:

EY Situational Strengths Test

EY Numerical Reasoning Test

EY Business Behaviours Tests

EY What’s Your Mindset Questionnaire

EY Situational Strengths Test

In this assessment, you will be presented with 16 videos describing a specific situation related to some common work-related scenarios. You will then be required to identify how you would approach this problem by rating the possible answers from 1-5, based on the likelihood that you would undertake each action.

Situational Judgement Test Example Question

This type of online assessment test is very similar to the Situational Judgement Test developed by Graduates First. Check it out now and practice beforehand to improve your results.

EY Numerical Reasoning Test

If it has been a while since you did Maths – do not worry! All you have to do is a quick recap of basic GCSE calculations, such as ratios, percentages and reading data off charts. What makes Ernst & Young’s numerical reasoning test difficult is not the knowledge tested, but how you reason with the information presented in the time limit under the pressure involved.

You will only have less than a minute to answer each question, so the best way to ensure that you do your utmost best is by practicing numerical reasoning test questions; this way, you will familiarise yourself with typical questions and become more comfortable which will help to increase your confidence.

Tip: Remember that it is the stress and time pressure that is challenging – not the lack of knowledge! You need to learn to manage these, and the best way by far to achieve this is by practicing tests in a safe environment before your actual test. You do not want your actual job or internship test to become a battleground. Remember, you have already successfully gone through the application process which tens of thousands of applicants have not managed.

If you are looking for an EY-style numerical reasoning test with answers, worked-solutions and professional score reports including personalised tips based on your performance – then Graduates First has it covered. Take a test now.

EY-style Numerical Reasoning Test Example

EY Business Behaviours Test

This Ernst & Young online assessment test is very similar to the EY Situational Strengths Test, but this time there will be no videos and your answers to each item will determine the following questions. After each question, you will be presented with 5 options and asked to rank them in order of how you are most and least likely to behave.

STEP 3

EY Telephone Interview

If you have successfully passed the online tests stage, you will be invited to a one-on-one interview with a HR professional from Ernst & Young. This interview will take the form of a telephone interview and will last approximately 20-25 minutes. This is an opportunity for you to show your interest and the potential skills that make you suitable for the particular role that you applied to.

This interview will be competency based (CBI) and will be focused around your CV and personal motivations, so review your CV and prepare examples of situations where you demonstrated the core competencies sought after by EY. These are:

People who excel

People who are good at working in teams

People with integrity

People who demonstrate respect

People with energy, enthusiasm and the courage to lead

EY telephone interview tip: Find a quiet space where you will not be disturbed. Leave a note in your sight to be reminded about the acronym STAR – Situation, Task, Action and Result. Every time you answer the question, make sure to talk precisely about each of these points. Make sure there is a logical flow between situations you describe under S, T, A, R.

Think about the projects you have previously worked on – whether they are from your professional experiences, education, passions, sports or personal experiences.

EY competency based interview tip: Remember it is imperative that you refer to a variety of experiences from different areas of your life (professional, personal, community, etc.) so do not get stuck on one project you previously worked as an example in all of your answers. Your goal here is to present your ability to act in different circumstances. Prepare a couple of examples before the interview, and sketch them using the STAR model.

Tip: If you are expecting a telephone interview, make sure you find a quiet space where you will not be disturbed.

Curious to know what questions could come up in your interview? Check out GF’s proprietary tool: Question Identifier Tool (QIT)

STEP 4

EY Assessment Centre

The assessment centre at Ernst & Young will be divided into two parts:

EY Group Exercise

you will be required to take part in the group in-tray exercise, which will expose you to a task that does not require any prior preparations.

You will need to analyse a piece of information and use your reasoning to suggest the best solution.

EY group exercise tip: remember to stay calm and focused; the HR assessors will observe your behavior throughout the assessment centre.

You can make sure that you stand out from the competition by following some of the tips that our Chartered Organisational Psychologists prepared to help you with your Ernst & Young assessment centre

EY Case Study

You will be given details of a company and relevant materials relating to the decision they are considering. In just under 40 minutes, you need to fully comprehend the specific business situation that the company is facing, analyse relevant information and prepare recommendations in the form of a written document or presentation. You will be able to use Microsoft Word to write up your findings.

You will also be asked to prepare a plan to manage the team, which will include: the work schedule, individual tasks, contingency plans and progress checks.

Tip: you need to work through the examples quickly and be confident about your decisions. You will have no time to go back and start from scratch, so just stick with what you are doing and try to be very precise when forming your arguments.

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